Outdoor Lamp
DURATION
DEC 2024 - JAN 2025
CLIENT
Tivoli Amusement Park
THE DESIGN CHALLENGE
As part of my participation in the Danish national TV program Danmarks Næste Klassiker, I was given the challenge of designing a lamp for Tivoli. The brief was open, with only a few key requirements: the lamp had to contribute to the atmosphere, not cause glare, and function beautifully in daylight, twilight, and at night. Beyond that, the placement, material choices, and type of lamp—whether a pendant, floor, table, or wall lamp—were entirely up to me.
I wanted to create a lamp that did more than simply provide light. It had to be a true atmosphere-maker—one that would interact with Tivoli’s surroundings, enhance its existing lighting, and offer a sensory experience during both day and night.
RESEARCH & INSPIRATION
Tivoli has always held a special place in my heart. It represents playfulness, poetry, and a unique aesthetic that blends tradition with creativity. But I also have a deeper, personal connection to it—my father, Michael Bang, redesigned Tivoli’s iconic glass lanterns in 1967. As part of the second generation of glass designers at Holmegaard Glassworks, he created a new angled lamp glass that became part of Tivoli’s visual identity.
Because of my family’s long history with glass design, I had intentionally avoided working with the material myself—until this project. I decided that if I were to take my first step into glass, it had to be on my own terms.
I was particularly fascinated by glass’s ability to interact with light—not just as a diffuser, but as an active element that distorts, reflects, and transforms its surroundings. I drew inspiration from early window glass, known as crown glass or ox-eye glass, which creates beautiful optical distortions and refractions when sunlight passes through it.
Another key inspiration was the Tivoli lake at night. Thousands of small lights surrounding the park are reflected in the water, their shimmering movements shaped by ripples and subtle distortions. This organic, ever-changing interplay of light became the foundation for my lamp’s design.
DESIGN PROCESS
Since this was my first time working with glass, I approached the process experimentally, eager to explore the material’s possibilities firsthand. I collaborated with my good friend, Jacob Østergaard, a skilled glassblower, to develop the lamp’s unique expression.
We chose to work with an old glass-making technique where molten glass is spun into a thin, circular sheet, a method historically used to create the first window glass. This technique gave the glass a beautifully organic texture with subtle imperfections, allowing it to bend and distort the surrounding light in a natural, poetic way.
At the same time, I focused on how the lamp would integrate into Tivoli’s existing lighting. Rather than competing with the park’s iconic illumination, I designed the lamp to actively interact with it, playing with reflections and optical illusions to create an engaging daytime experience as well. While many of Tivoli’s current lamps primarily come alive at night, this one offers an equally dynamic presence in daylight, capturing and transforming natural sunlight into shimmering, shifting patterns.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
The final lamp is designed as an outdoor atmosphere-maker. It is completely waterproof and features a dim-to-warm LED light source, which means that as the brightness is dimmed, the color temperature becomes warmer, mimicking the natural warmth of an incandescent bulb. This creates a more natural and perceptually pleasing lighting experience as our eyes instinctively expect light to become warmer as it softens.
The handmade glass elements are mounted on copper tubes, chosen for their ability to patinate over time, blending beautifully with Tivoli’s garden environment and harmonizing with the green copper spires that define Copenhagen’s skyline. I selected five colors that are part of Tivoli’s visual identity but in a more muted and refined palette, ensuring they would complement the surroundings rather than overpower them.
This lamp is designed exclusively for Tivoli, tailored specifically to its environment and visual identity. However, the glass shades themselves can be used in other product designs of a more private nature.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO DESIGN
This project embodies my overall approach to design. I always aim to dive deep into the essence of a place or client, ensuring that my work is not about me but about the sender and receiver. In this case, Tivoli is the sender, and its visitors are the receivers. The lamp is not just an isolated object; it is part of a larger scenography, working in harmony with its surroundings rather than standing apart.
In designing this lamp, I wanted to capture the soul of Tivoli—its history, its magical atmosphere, and its constantly shifting play of light.
ABOUT SOPHUS
Multi-award-winning industrial designer with over 20 years of experience in high-end product design. Raised in the Danish design tradition and mentored by master designer David Lewis, Sophus is passionate about creating meaningful, lasting design solutions. His approach is rooted in empathy, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to exceeding client expectations. He believes in long-term collaborations built on trust and mutual respect, ensuring that every project is not just a product but a true reflection of a brand’s identity.
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contact@sophusbang.com
